Tag: NHL

Sharks Fall 2-1 to Blues in Shootout

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost to the St. Louis Blues by a score of 2-1 in a shootout Friday. Tyler Bozak scored for the Blues and Jordan Binnington made 30 saves for the win. Ryan Donato scored for the Sharks and Martin Jones made 33 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“I think we had seven or eight missed chances, missed the net, and the rest were blocked. I thought we had a ton of opportunities, especially rush chances in the slot. We looked to pass it or we got blocked or, like I said, we missed the net. So they hit the net on theirs. They’re a good team, a good offensive team and I thought Jonesy gave us a chance to win there.”

Ryan Donato scored for the Sharks at 15:08 of the second period. Hertl started the puck out and passed it to Sorensen in the neutral zone. As he crossed the blue line, he dropped it to Donato. Donato hesitated until a defenseman went down to block the shot, and then took the shot from the slot. Assists went to Sorensen and Hertl.

The two penalties in the first two periods both went to the Sharks and they were both for too many men on the ice. After the game, Sharks captain Logan Couture said: “Tonight the first one was on the forwards and the second one was on the d-men. I believe the first one, guys just heard the wrong line that was called and obviously that can’t happen. And the d-one, I’m not sure, I’m not down at that end.”

The Blues had two shots during the first power play and one in the second. The Blues outshot the Sharks in both periods, 12-9 and 12-7.

The Blues tied the game at 6:22 of the third period with a short-handed goal. Kyle Clifford took a shot that went off of Tyler Bozak’s shinpad, making it Bozak’s first goal of the year.

There were two penalties called in the third period, an interference call against Zach Sanford of the Blues and a misconduct against Kurtis Gabriel of the Sharks. Neither team registered a shot on the power play in the third. The Sharks improved a little in shots, leading 11-10 in the third.

The Sharks had all the shots in overtime with four, and they had some power play time as well.

The shootout was concluded in three rounds. David Perron’s shot was stopped by Martin Jones. Donato shot wide. Brayden Schenn scored over Jones’ shoulder on the glove side. Logan Couture scored over Binnington’s blocker. Vladimir Tarasenko scored by outwaiting Jones and sneaking the puck behind the goalie. Kevin Labanc tried the same thing but Binnington’s skate got in the way for a save.

The Sharks’ face-off numbers were not good, with a 38% win percentage. Tomas Hertl and Dylan Gambrell both won fewer than 25% of their draws. Both players have been taking a lot of draws and until recently put up good numbers.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at 6:00 PM PT, against the Blues again in San Jose.

Sharks Fall 5-4 to Golden Knights

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 5-4 to the Golden Knights at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Wednesday. Vegas goals came from Shea Theodore, Cody Glass, Nicolas Hague, Ryan Reaves and Alec Martinez. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves for the win. Matt Nieto, Mario Ferraro, Kevin Labanc and Evander Kane scored for the Sharks. Devan Dubnyk made 32 saves in the loss.

The Sharks went into the third period with a 3-1 lead, but gave up four goals in the final frame. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about how the game came undone:

“I think we pissed away a couple points. You know, the game got emotional and intense and physical, and I didn’t mind that at all. I think we did a good job sticking up for each other, those are things we want to keep doing. A little tough there when we lost [Couture], Hertl and Timo got called off the bench for concussion protocol after that hit all at the same time so we started juggling lines.”

Boughner did not consider that the real turning point. Rather, it came before that: “They didn’t have much going on the first six, seven minutes of that period and we had a horrible, horrible too many men call.”

Sharks Captain Logan Couture explained how it felt to let the game get away from them in the third:

“We played better. Should have won tonight, gave away points, so I mean it sucks to take away the moral victory in a game like this when you need to win and should have won. We’re in a position to win in the third period so, shitty feeling right now.”

Shea Theodore started the scoring at 3:45. Max Pacioretty gathered up an offensive zone turnover and passed it to Theodore at the point. Theodore’s slapshot sailed by Dubnyk, who may have been screened by some traffic.

San Jose took three penalties in the first period and their penalty kill allowed four shots. On the power play, they had three shots. For the period, the Sharks led in shots 11-10.

Matt Nieto got the Sharks on the board at 6:21. Timo Meier sent a pass from the goal line right onto Nieto’s stick by the blue paint. Assists went to Meier and Tomas Hertl.

The Sharks took a lead at with a goal from Mario Ferraro at 7:57. John Leonard’s shot went off of the post before Ferraro coraaled it behind the net and wrapped it around behind Fleury. Assists went to Leonard and Evander Kane.

Ryan Reaves put the puck in the net for Vegas at 11:00, but William Carrier was on top of Dubnyk when the puck went in. The Sharks challenged the goal and, after a review, it was called back for goaltender interference.

Kevin Labanc scored the Sharks’ third of the night at 15:07. Evander Kane attempted to deflect a shot from Ferraro on the blue line. When that didn’t go, he found it again and swept it in front of the net for Labanc to put away. Assists went to Kane and Ferraro.

The Sharks achieved their second period goal of avoiding penalties and the only one went to the Golden Knights. They outshot the Golden Knights 16-11 in the period, but did not get any shots on their power play.

Cody Glass scored for Vegas on the power play at 6:43 of the third period. John Leonard was in the box because his team was caught with too many men on the ice. The puck actually went off of Mario Ferraro’s skate. Assists went to Shea Theodore and Mark Stone.

Tomas Hertl and Mark Stone came to blows in front of the Sharks net moments later. Stone had delivered a hit on Timo Meier in the neutral zone. Meier was called away form the game for concussion protocol. That was Hertl’s first NHL fight.

Nicolas Hague tied the game at 10:03 with a shot right down the slot from the blue line. The assists went to Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson.

Logan Couture and Jonathan Marchessault fought shortly after that goal. That left the Sharks without Meier, Hertl of Couture for several minutes.

Ryan Reaves gave Vegas the lead at 12:27 with a deflection that bounced past Dubnyk. Assists went to Tomas Nosek and Zach Whitecloud.

Alec Martinez scored what would be the game winner at 14:46, on another power play. Labanc was in the box for tripping. the Sharks were just eight seconds away from killing the penalty when Tomas Nosek made a pass across the ice to Martinez. Assists went to Nosek and Theodore.

Evander Kane brought the Sharks back within on goal at 15:54 with a power play goal. Erik Karlsson took a shot from the point. Kane was there to battle for the rebound and tuck it in.

Vegas outshot San Jose 16-6 in the third period. The Sharks got two shots in on their one power play and the Golden Knights got seven shots in two power plays.

The Sharks won just 45% of the face-offs in the game. Of skaters to take more than five draws, only Logan Couture won more than 50%.

The Sharks next play on Friday against the St. Louis Blues at 6:00 PM PT, back in San Jose.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Expect to see a more offensive effort tonight from Sharks in Vegas

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

You can expect the San Jose Sharks goaltender Devon Dubnyk (40) to expect lots of traffic in front of the net knowing the Vegas Golden Knights reputation for offense tonight at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas for game 2 of the 2 game series (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len, does it look like any indication to you with that the Vegas Golden Knights (19-6-1) set the tone in winning the first game of this two game series against the San Jose Sharks (11-12-3) on Monday night 2-1.

#2 The Sharks goaltender Devon Dubnyk did all he can to prevent a second goal in the third period but being the good offensive club the Knights are they were able to score on Dubnyk and the Sharks ran out of time to try and tie up the game.

#3 Dubnyk faced a barrage of 34 shots from the Knights and stopped all but 32 he had a great performance despite the San Jose loss and has been the hot handed goalie for the Sharks.

#4 The Sharks in their own right put the puck on net as well against the Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury allowing only one goal while facing 24.

#5 Tonight is game 2 of the series who do you see in goal in this one and you can expect to see more offense coming from the Sharks side of the rink tonight?

Join Len for Sharks podcasts every Wednesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro Wed Mar 17, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks-Knights get after game 2 Wednesday night in Vegas

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc Andre Fluery stops San Jose Sharks Evander Kane’s shot on Mon Mar 15, 2021 at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas in game 1 of the two game series (photo from Bay Area News Group)

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Sharks lose in Vegas by a close margin 2-1 both goaltenders for San Jose Devon Dubnyk and the Vegas Golden Knights Marc-Andre Fleury were on their A games on Monday night at the T Mobile Center.

#2  Fluery faced 24 shots allowed a goal and had a .958 % save average against the Sharks on Monday night.

#3 Dubnyk faced 36 shots and allowed two goals for a .944 save average. Despite the loss D ubnyk continues to have the hot hand for goalie at San Jose.

#4 Mary Lisa it all came down to the third period as the Sharks Timo Meier scored the team’s only goal. The Sharks couldn’t force overtime in the one goal loss in game 1.

#5 Same clubs for Wednesday night at the T Mobile Center in Vegas both teams played even hockey on Monday night do you see game 2 being pretty much a close match up as well?

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Mar 16, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

Sharks Lose 2-1 to Golden Knights; Dubnyk stands on head despite loss

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

The San Jose Sharks goaltender Devon Dubnyk stops a shot by the Vegas Golden Knights Alex Tuch while on his back at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Mon Mar 15, 2021 (AP News photo) 

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell to the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 2-1 Monday. Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone scored for Vegas. Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves for the win. Timo Meier scored for the Sharks and Devan Dubnyk made 34 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about how an otherwise good game from the Sharks was thwarted by Marc-Andre Fleury’s brilliant play:

“I thought there was a lot of good things to our game. Obviously, in the second period we took on a little water. I thought that Duby was good. I thought that we had lots of chances early on in the game. I thought Fleury was a difference-maker. You know, we had a few break-aways, we hit a few posts. Could have been a little bit of a different game, but he kept them going, he gave them some momentum.”

Boughner went on to say: “I’m proud of the guys, I thought we fought hard, I thought we did a lot of good things so we just gotta get back to work here tomorrow and try and find a way to score some more goals against these guys.”

Sharks captain Logan Couture talked about how the team seems to be getting better goaltending lately:

“The last little while, I think that, you know, we started to pick each other up. We started to play better for each other, play to our system, play better defensively. When a team plays better, tighter defensively, the goaltender’s always going to look better and make more saves. So, yeah, I think we’re starting to do that.”

Max Pacioretty scored the only first period goal, on the power play at 8:35. Evander Kane was in the box for tripping Jonathan Marchessault. It took the Golden Knights just 12 seconds to score. They won the face-off and moved the puck aroud the outside once before Pacioretty scored, from just beyond the face-off dot. Assists went to Mak Stone and Shea Theodore.

The first period shot count was 11-8 Sharks. In the face-of circle, Vegas won 58%.

There were no goals and no penalties in the second period. There was, however, a surprising shot discrepancy, with the Sharks getting credit for just 4 and Vegas notching 16 shots. Oddly, the face-offs went the other way, with the Sharks winning 60% of them.

Mark Stone added a goal for Vegas just 1:02 into the third period. Nikolay Knyzhov did a good job stcking with Pacioretty as he carried the puck down the wall, but he couldn’t stop him from making a pass to Mark Stone who was trailing. No one was in Stone’s way to prevent the shot. Assists went to Pacioretty and Nicolas Hague.

The Golden Knights had a power play when Tomas Hertl was called for sendig the puck over the glass. The Sharks penalty kill allowed just one shot.

Around the 12-minute mark, Evander Kane had a breakaway chance but Marc-Andre Fleury came way out of his net for the poke check. Fleury’s gamble paid off and Kane couldn’t get a shot off.

Not long after that, Kane was sent to the penalty box for interference on Marchessault. Vegas had 3 shots on that power play.

Timo Meier got the Sharks on the board at 14:29. Meier held the puck in the slot as if he would shoot on the forehand, luring Fleury out of the net. Once the goalie was out of the blue paint, Meier switched to the backhand and dragged the puck around Fleury’s outstretched leg to tuck it in the net. Brent Burns got the assist.

The Sharks pulled their goaltender with just under two minutes left. The Sharks had a 25 second power play at the end when Max Pacioretty was called for interference on Timo Meier. That was the only penalty called on Vegas. The Sharks had a few fair chances in those 25 seconds but could not tie it up.

Logan Couture commented on the difficulty of using the extra skater in the last minutes of the game:

“Just at the end there, the puck was bouncing too much to create anything on that 6 on 5 and power play. Which is unfortunate ‘cuz I think we would have had some looks. Just couldn’t get anything tape-to-tape and the puck seemed to be spinning, bouncing, so, tough one to swallow right now for sure.”

The shot count for the period was 12-9 Vegas. The Sharks led in face-off wins at 52% for the third period and in the game.

The Sharks will play the Golden Knights again on Wednesday in Las Vegas, at 7:00 PM PT.

Sharks Win 3rd in a Row, Beat Ducks 3-1

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

The San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) allowed only one goal against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Sat Mar 13, 2021 (@SanJoseSharks photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won their third in a row on Saturday, a 3-1 win against the Ducks in Anaheim. This is the first win streak for the Sharks this season. Sharks goals came from Evander Kane, Kevin Labanc and Dylan Gambrell. Martin Jones made 26 saves for the win. Max Jones scored for the Ducks and Ryan Miller made 30 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said: “It feels good to have a first little winning streak I guess you can call it, three games in a row. You know, especially on the road. The guys played well, it was a tight game.”

The first Sharks goal came just after an Anaheim power play in the first period. Taking advantage of a turnover in the Sharks’ zone, Kane went the other way in a hurry, with Tomas Hertl and Mario Ferraro just a step behind. Kane carried it all the way to the face-off circle before taking the shot and beating Ryan Miller on the blocker side.

The first period shot count was close, at 8-7 Sharks. There were five penalties called in the first, three to Anaheim and two to San Jose. The Sharks had four shots i their power plays and allowed just one powr play shot to Anaheim. In the face-off circle, the Sharks prevailed 58% of the time.

Anaheim tied it up at 5:38 of the second period. Max Jones skated around Radim Simek with the puck on his backhand. As he cut away from the wall he switched to his forehand for a quick shot into the far side of the net. Assists went to Kevin Shattenkirk and Isac Lundestrom.

Kevin Labanc grabbed the lead back for the Sharks just under a minute later. Tomas Hertl came around behind the net and, while losing his footing, passed the puck around the post to the front for Labanc to take the shot. Assists went to Hertl and Mario Ferraro.

The Sharks outshot the Ducks 14-9 in the second period, and out drew them in the face-off circle, winning 16 of 21 draws. There was just one penalty in the period, going to Anaheim. The Sharks did not get any shots on that power play.

Dylan Gambrell gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead at 2:07 of the third. Ryan Donato gathered the puck up behind the net after it came loose in the corner. Donato tried for a wrap around but was thwarted by traffic. Gambrell was in the thick of that traffic on his knees when he managed to push the puck in. Assists went to Donato and John Leonard. It was Gambrell’s first goal of the season, and his first in over a year.

The Ducks pulled their goaltender for an extra skater, with almost three minutes left in the game.

The third period shots were dead even at 11 each. The Sharks took the only penalty in the period, but allowed just one shot to the Ducks’ power play. Additionally, the Sharks took four short-handed shots during that penalty kill. The Sharks slipped badly in the face-off circle, dropping to 30% for the period. Overall, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl won more draws than they lost, and, through the first two periods, Dylan Gambrell won more than 50%.

The Sharks next play on Monday against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas at 7:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: Impressive win for Sharks in 6-0 shutout against Ducks

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The San Jose Sharks goaltender Devon Dubnyk (1) gets in front of Anaheim Ducks forward Maxime Comtois (53) third period shot on Fri Mar 12, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Matt:

#1 Little doubt that the Sharks (10-11-3) goaltender Devon Dubnyk has the hot hand shutting out the Anaheim Ducks (8-14-6) on Friday night with a 6-0 win and 34 saves.

#2 Dubnyk was also instrumental in the Sharks 3-2 overtime win over the St Louis Blues last Monday night both victories coming at SAP Center.

#3 The Sharks got scoring help against the Ducks from Tomas Hertl, Kevin LeBanc, Evander Kane, Timo Meier, Fredrick Handemark, and Erik Karlsson a good mix of players who took advantage of the Ducks defense.

#4 The Ducks knew they were in trouble they pulled started goalie Josh Gibson for Ryan Miller. Gibson allowed five goals and Miller allowed one. The Sharks scored four goals in the third period.

#5 Same two teams tonight at the Honda Center in Anaheim the Ducks have to gear up on their end as they just were non existent on Friday night and the Sharks not only rallied but they’ve been getting goal scoring help from the defencemen including Erik Karlsson.

Join Matt Harrington for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Will electric win put Sharks back on track?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks goaltender Devan Dubnyk center gets congratulated by Marc-Edouard Vlasic (left) and center Ryan Danato (16) after the Sharks win on Mon Mar 8, 2021 at SAP Center San Jose (@SanJoseSharks photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len, after losing three straight games the San Jose Sharks (9-11-3) looked like they tightened down the defense despite getting behind early 2-0 on Monday night against the St Louis Blues (14-8-2).

#2 The defense played a big enough role for San Jose that allowed them to tie the score at 2-2 in the second and third periods with a goal a piece from Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

#3 The Sharks in their last few games have been getting goal scoring help from their defencemen and Vlasic’s goal on Monday night no exception.

#4 Evander Kane can come out and get one in the back of the net and he didn’t waste anytime on Monday night 41 seconds in the overtime and scored the game winner.

#5 The Sharks open up back to back games in Anaheim this Friday and Saturday. The Anaheim Ducks (7-12-6) have lost five of their last six games this is a team that has been struggling will this give the Sharks an opportunity to take advantage of the Ducks?

Join Len for Sharks podcasts every Wednesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro Wed Mar 10, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks end three game loss streak edge Blues 3-2

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Evander Kane left winger (9) of the San Jose Sharks put the puck on net in overtime past St Louis Blues goaltender Ville Husso (35) for the game winner on Mon Mar 8, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 One way for the San Jose Sharks to start the week is with a win over the St Louis Blues as they ended a three game loss streak at SAP Center on Monday night in overtime.

#2 The Blues began the game with a goal in each of the first and second periods for a 2-1 lead. Getting goal each from Niko Mikkola and Brayden Schenn.

#3 The Sharks answered right back scoring goals in the second and third periods from Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic to tie up the game.

#4 In the overtime stanza the Sharks got the overtime goal from Evander Kane to edge the Blues 3-2. The win ends the Sharks seven game home stand.

#5 The Sharks will now head to the Southland to face off with the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center in Anaheim for a two game series. The Ducks have lost five of their last eight games and played the Los Angeles Kings in Anaheim last night. How do you see this match up between the Sharks and Ducks opening up this Friday night.

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts each Tuesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Mar 9, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Sharks End Homestand on High Note, Beat the Blues 3-2 in Overtime

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

The thrill of victory as the San Jose Sharks Evander Kane (9) scores the game winning goal in overtime and is congratulated by teammates Erik Karlsson (center) and Logan Couture (39) at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Mar 8, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks rallied from a 2-1 deficit entering the third period to beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime Monday night. Evander Kane scored the game-winner 41 seconds into extra time after Devan Dubnyk’s aggressive work in net, Logan Couture scored the game-tying goal and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored his first of the year in the win. Ryan Donato assisted on both goals for the Sharks (9-11-3) who wrapped up a 7-game homestand going 2-4-1. Brayden Schenn and Niko Mikkola scored for the Blues (14-8-4).

O’Reilly had the game on his stick, but Dubnyk challenged him before he could even put the puck on net in overtime. Erik Karlsson was able to pick up the loose puck and race down the right wing before feeding Kane on the left wing crossing into the Blues zone. From there, Kane had a clear lane to the net before, sniping the puck past Ville Husso for his ninth goal of the year.

San Jose tied the game 7:58 into the third on the power play after Rudolfs Balcers worked the puck to Ryan Donato in the corner. Donato worked his way into the net-front, trying to backhand the puck past Husso. The rebound bounced to Couture, who managed to have it flick off the boot of his skate and into the net for his division-leading 13th goal of the year.

“I thought we competed harder in that third,” said Couture. ” The first two periods we weren’t getting offense going. We had 10 or 11 shots after the second. We earned some power plays, were able to get a power play goal and then that big goal by (Evander Kane) in overtime.”

San Jose was trailing entering the period after a pair of seeing-eye goals by St. Louis sandwiched around Vlasic’s marker. Niko Mikkola scored his first career NHL goal after his shot deflected into the net off a skater in Dubnyk’s line of sight 4:16 into the game.

Vlasic converted on a Donato feed exactly seven minutes into the second, his first goal since December of 2019. Then Schenn gave the Blues a 2-1 edge on the power play after David Perron’s shot knicked him crossing the goal mouth.

“We thought that in the first period we fought pretty hard,” said Sharks coach Bob Boughner. “We thought we were maybe a little ahead on the chances. We felt good. In the second, we were building some momentum with two or three shifts in a row then we just took penalty after penalty and it ruined our flow.”

The Sharks ran into penalty trouble throughout the night, with Kevin Labanc picking up two of the four minors for the Sharks. He found himself slipping further and further down the lineup, ultimately sitting out the entirety of the third period and overtime.

“I think the message was sent with me sitting him for the period,” said Boughner. “I talked to him earlier in the game about working away from the puck. I showed him a couple clips on the bench on the ipad.

He just wasn’t engaged enough. I didn’t believe that he could help us tonight with what I saw. Someone else is going to get that opportunity. We have to have that kind of accountability in our game. For me that starts with ice time.”

While Labanc didn’t have an impact in the final 21 minutes of play, Dubnyk stood tall in net for the Sharks. He saved 24 of 26 St. Louis shots along with snuffing out the last Blues rush that arguably should have earned him an assist on the game-winning goal.

His performance sets up an intriguing match-up question when the Sharks start a four-game road trip Friday night in Anaheim. The Sharks will play back-to-back games against the Ducks, then face Vegas in the desert on Monday and Wednesday.

Both goalies will probably split the first two games, but questions remain if Boughner will split the remaining games against Vegas or give both to whoever is hot.

Notes: Tomas Hertl is expected to resume skating on Tuesday, he could be available to return after missing the last six games due to Covid-19…Timo Meier’s status is less clear. He sat out Monday’s game, his second straight scratch with an injury….Kurtis Gabriel was spotted jawing with St. Louis tough guy Kyle Clifford in warm-ups. The two dropped gloves in the first period. Gabriel now leads the team with two fighting majors…Coach Bob Boughner celebrated his 50th birthday Monday night with a nice gift from the team, two points…John Leonard found himself on the top line with Labanc’s demotions and didn’t look entirely out of place, playing with more confidence with the puck.